Study: Obesity Rates Fall for Asian American, White Children but Rise for Other Groups
According to a study from the University of California, San Francisco, obesity rates among Caucasian and Asian American children have fallen in recent years. The study also found that child obesity rates have leveled off among Latino children.
What is the reason for this good news? Here’s an excerpt from a recent San Francisco Chronicle article:
“For the first time in more than three decades, obesity rates for white and Asian children are falling in California, and they seem to have leveled off for Hispanic kids – all good signs that public health campaigns aimed at keeping young people away from unhealthful sweets and fatty foods are starting to work, according to a UCSF study.”
But, it’s not all good news. The same study noted that obesity rates among African American and American Indian girls are rising. Researchers say this indicates that public education campaigns need to be more widespread. Also from the article:
“We can attribute the plateaus to increasing awareness of pediatric obesity in families and communities. And there’s been a consistent effort by pediatricians to identify overweight and obese kids,” said Dr. Padmaja Padalkar, an assistant chief of pediatrics who specializes in working with overweight children at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. “But this study also reminds us that we’re far from being out of the woods.”
Do you think your community is doing all it can to combat and prevent child obesity?
Here are some links to related measures of child health on kidsdata.org:
Posted by Felicity Simmons
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